In recent years patio living, typically with a barbecue, has become almost a lifestyle. This has created a demand for a porch having the advantages of a roof and optionally screening to provide the same kind of open feeling afforded by a patio so that the floor of the porch is more open visually to the outside, i.e. reads on the lawn or other surroundings outside the porch so that the eye can travel with almost no effort beyond the window to the outside. One objective of the invention is to find a way to provide a porch with windows which will provide the illusion of being outside as on a patio. Recessible windows have been previously proposed but the enclosure required for stored window sashes produces a walled in feeling and destroys the illusion of being outside. An outdoor effect has been partially achieved with floor length picture windows but because the window glass cannot be moved, the feeling of being outside is destroyed.
In view of these deficiencies of the prior art, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a porch with fully enclosing glass windows that nevertheless gives one the feeling of being outside. It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a modular porch structure having recessible windows in which the window openings extend from the ceiling all the way or almost all the way to the floor. A further object is to provide a modular porch including a modular window opening having several recessible window sashes that do not have to be removed to be placed in storage, which require no counterweights and yet can be easily slid vertically in a multi-channel track and when lowered to a storage position provide a window opening that is spaced from the floor by a distance which is less than the height of a single window sash. A further object is to provide a window opening that extends from the ceiling almost all the way to the floor so that the bottom of the window opening is close enough to the floor to promote the visual illusion of being outside. A further object is to provide a porch having a plurality of side-by-side modular windows and yet is rugged in construction, reliable in operation, low in cost and provides a window wall including a plurality of vertically spaced independently slidable window sashes recessible below the level of the porch floor.
These and other more detailed and specific objects of the invention will be apparent in view of the accompanying specification and drawings which illustrate the invention by way of example.